Nutrient food products and process of producing same



United States Patent NUTRIENT FOOD PRODUCTS AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING SAL1E Eugene Joel Rivoche, Washington, D. C.

No Drawing. Application July 7, 1953 Serial No. 366,637

9 Claims. (Cl. 99-28) originally possess the desired texture andviscosity, they are inherently unstable because of the fact that thesmall divided food particles are insoluble in the liquid and are for themost part of a heavier specific weight than the liquid. Because of thisdifference in specific weights and because of differences in thetensions and frictions of the food molecules as compared to those of theliquid molecules, the food powder has tended to settle rather rapidlythrough the milk to collect or precipitate on the bottom.

All previous attempts at producing a fruit juice milk shake wherein thesour juice of a desired fruit was added to the milk have either resultedin curdling of the milk under the action of the acid in the fruit juice,or else have resulted in the extremely diluted milk which obtains onmixing with milk a sufficient volume of diluted fruit juice to yield thedesired taste without presenting sufiicient acid to cause curdling.

It is an object of this invention to produce, by means of a new process,a drink of the shake-type having an extremely high stability.

'It is a further object of this invention to produce by means of a newprocess a new drink of the shake-type having completely new tastecharacteristics from those known heretofore.

It is a further object of this invention to produce by means of a newprocess a fruit juice shake having both a high acidity and a high degreeof stability.

It is a still further object of this invention to produce by means of anew process a new nutrient drink of the shake-type having suspendedtherein a wide variety of food ingredients. 7

It is a still further object of this invention to produce by means of anew process a new type of soup of high consistency.

It is another object of this invention to produce by means of a newprocess a new type of soup containing organoleptically perceptible gelparticles.

crete gel particles by means of a new process.

According to the process of this invention the new type of nutrientdrinks are prepared by either stirring into milk or other suitableliquid a prefabricated gel having the desired food particles embodiedtherein, or by stirring into the milk a powder compound containing boththe desired food particles and a gelatinization agent which will It is afurther object of this invention to produce dis- ICC sizes in the drinkis dependent upon the speed, duration and type of mixing utilized. Afurther means of preparing such new type drinks is to stir into the milkor other suitable liquid a prefabricated gel which contains a surplus ofgelatinization agent which transforms the milk or corresponding liquidinto a gel which is subsequently broken up by the stirrer.

The drinks prepared in this manner difier markedly from drinks knownheretofore. The stability is much better, the mixture has more body toit and has an entirely difierent and new structure which produces a newtaste sensation. When utilizing the new method, the solid food particlesare not freely suspended in a dry state in the liquid but are embodiedin a gel structure which is generally of a much larger size than thefood particles themselves and which possesses entirely differenttensions and frictions than the food particles. The specific weight andtensions of the small food particles exercise much less influence uponthe settling rate and the drinks produced are therefore much morestable. The size of the gel particles is easily controlled throughcontrol of the time, speed, and type of mixer employed and through suchcontrol it is possible to produce drinks hav ing a wide variety ofentirely new tastes. The method of preparation of the gels and thegelatinization agents used are not critical except in those situationswhere it is desirable to produce gels which are resistant to bothfreezing and boiling temperatures and also in those situations where itis desirable to produce milk shakes containing any appreciableconcentration 'of acid. Whereas known methods of preparing such gelsmight be utilized, it has been found convenient and time-saving toutilize the continuous rapid gel formation processes outlined in mycopending application No. 307,217, filed August 30, 1952,

now U. S. Patent No. 2,791,508, granted May 7, 1957. According to theseprocesses, a gel may be formed by uniformly dispersing a food powder,such as chocolate, a suitable colloid, such as an algin or pectin, andan insoluble salt of an edible alkaline earth metal, such as calciumcarbonate, in water and subsequently uniformly distributing throughoutthis mixture a dry acid powder, such as tartaric acid, which solubilizesthe salt to cause immediate institution of gel formation. The type ofgel formed is easily controlled through variation of the amount ofcolloid and calcium carbonate or similar salt utilized. According to afurther process disclosed in the same application and also in myapplication No. 329,795, filed January 6, 1953, now U. S. Patent No.2,786,763, granted March 26, 1957, a suitable colloid and a passengerbuifer are uniformly dispersed in water to form a colloidal solution.

phate, intermixed with the desired food powder. intermixing the solublecalcium salt and the colloid solution, gelatinization is immediatelyinstituted and proceeds ions from a thixotrepic semi-gel to a firm,advanced gel resistant to higher temperatures. Such heat-resistant gelsare also known to the art as heat-irreversible gels.

By the term semi-gel is meant a water solution which 7 forms atransparent, highly viscous, elastic, 't hixotropic Into this colloidalsolution is introduced any suitable soluble salt, such as calciumlactate, precipitated calcium sulphate, or calcium phos- Upon 1 massthat is more or less fluid when agitated, which becomes solid uponstanding and which, if broken up, will reform upon further standing. Bythe terms advancedgel or coagu-lum is meant a firm, rigid, but

relatively brittle gel structure which cannot be forced through orextruded frorn a small openingor narrow; slit It'- is broken up byagitationand as a continuous iilrna stirring and will not coalesce and.reform upon stan'ding An advancedgel'may; be readily cut into pieceswith shiny. surfaces which do not tend 'to stick one to the other. It isopaque and subject to-syneresis, that is, ,to the separation of waterwithoutloss of form or shape.

In other words, an advanced gel will'eliminat'e water without loss ofgel structure Accordingito a still further process disclosed in myapplication No; 307,217 and which is particularly adapted to the"preparation of soups orthe like products, the advanced gelatinization isbrought about through a heating, or cooking step. Inthis embodiment'awater colloid soluliquidfruit juice of the foregoing process.

acidity for gel formation, additional edible acid may be added. It isalso possible to use the foregoing process wherein the fruit juice is ina dry powdered form with or without additional dry powdered acid added.These powders are mixed with sugar in order to facilitate uni- 7 formdispersal and this powder compound is added to the viscous orsemi-gel-like substance in place of the Accordingto a still furthermethod of producing a satisfactory acid gel, a colloid such as a pectinor algin may be mixed with a suitable salt such as calcium carbonate anda'suitable passenger buffer such as trisodium phosphate along with tiona mixture ofa' small amount of an acid soluble at 1 roomtemperatureswith a larger amount of an acid insoluble at roomtemperatures but soluble at high temperatures. Asan example, amixture'of citric acid and potassium bitartrate may be used. The citricacid will solubilize e'noughflsalt to create the desired semi-gellikeconsistency at room temperature whereas thepotassium bitartrate willsolubilize the remaining salt at high temperature and institute advancedgel formation.

Another manner of accomplishing the desired result is through the use ofa salt which is very slightly soluble at both room and hightemperatures. Such a salt is added to the colloid solution along withthe acid which is soluble only at high temperature. A suitable mixture,for example, may be calcium phosphate and potassium bitartrate. Thecalcium phosphate will dissolve sufficiently in the cold liquid to givethe desired semi-gellike consistency while the potassium bitartrate willdissolve at: high temperatures solu ing the calcium phosphate andinstituting the formation of an advanced gel.

While it has been stated that the manner of gel forma n is not critical,it is to be understood that if a heat resistant'gel is desired, it isnecessary to use of the processes of gel formation disclosed myaforeeither onementioned c'opending application wherein a salt of anedible alkaline earth metal is utilized as the gelatiniZat-ion agenttoforrn an advanced gel or coagulurn as heretofore described or someother process capable of forming aheat resistant gel. Similarly, whereit is desired to form'a gel resistant to freezing temperatures, that is,a V

gel which may be'frozen immediately after formation and thawed withoutdestruction, it is necessary to use the processes disclosed in'myaforementioned copendlngv application wherein a salt of an ediblealkaline earth metal is used and the process and gel formation occurs ata emperature between zero and 4 centigrade.

in the formation of the'new type of fruit juice shakes, an acid gel isformed by any of several satisfactory processes outlined in my copendingapplication. One satisf ctory method is to form a dry mixture of sugar,an insoluble salt of an edible alkaline earth metal such as calciumcarbonate, and a colloid such as an algin and to dissolve or suspendthis mixture in water at room temperature; This resulting viscous orSemigel-Iike substance is then placed in a high speed mixer into which afruit juice is introduced to institute the formation of an acid gel. ifthe frui .ice does not produce the desired a sugar such as dextrose Thisdry mixture is stirred into water until the colloid. and dextrosedissolve. Simultaneously, a separate mixtureof sugar, tartaric acid,coloring and fruit flavoring are mixed together and this second mixtureis then rapidly mixed into the water S0111.

'tionuntil the sugar dissolves and the viscosity starts to increase. Thegel will thereafter form at a highcorv trolled rate.

The acid gel formed in any of the foregoing manners is then introducedinto themilk and stirred and broken up therein. amount of free calciumions which will act upon thegel in such a manner as'to promote theformation of a. coagulum. This action causes acid to be liberated-.through syner'esis and the'acid liberated'has a: tendency to curdle themilk. it has been discovered, however;

that if the acid gel utilized is far enough removedfr'om'" the advancedgel stage when it is introduced-intotthe" milk the acid liberationprocess caused bycoagulumfore" m-ation is-a gradual one and will yieldaxsuffic'ient time'r.

interval for preparationand serving of the drinkbeforev' any appreciablecurdlin'g occurs. If it is desired toaobez tain an even longer life forthe'drinks,v it has beenfound possible to" add buffers either to themilk itself or to the, gelin order to insolubilize the calcium ions. in:the'milkig. and to thus prevent transformation of the gelzinto aslcoagulurn with the correspondent liberation of acidrfto; producecurdling. This maybe done, for eXample,.by1

adding such buffers as sodium carbonate, sodium." acidz.

phosphate or trisodium phosphate. The trisodium phos phate is preferredsince it acts very much faster than; the othenbuffers, particularly incold Water or cold milk.

It will be recognized that thetypes of food ingredients;- which may beentrapped in the gels of this inventioncare': practically unlimited invariety. On many occasions'it is diflicult to prefabricate a mixturecomposed of different; types offood products, such asdry products,liquid prod-z;

' ucts, viscous products, farinaceous products, fat products;

etc., and still obtain a long shelf or preservation life; Thesedifiiculties are readily overcome through the us- 'oftthe'wi newintermediate step of transforming the preparation;

into a gel and in such cases the gel might be considered 1 as aconvenient packingmediumo If even furthershelfior preservation life isdesired, it isobvious that the addition:

of suitable preservatives to the economically accomplished.

Whereas the foregoing processes have all 'dealt with the introductioninto the milk of a prefabricated gel, it is 2 also possible within thescope of this inventiontoiintroduce into the milk'a powdered mixturewhich will transform!" the entire mass of the'milk into'a gelor coagulumwhiclrri is subsequentl-y broken up. to 'a liquid or semi-liquid form bystirring. It is further possible to transform the' entirea; millcmassinto a gel or coagulum by embodyingintthe prefabricated gel an excessamount of gelati'nization agent 1: so that the liberation of such agentin the milk will. cause its .gelatinization. V

Itis also within the scope of theinvention' to form; in the milli, asfor example in chocolate'milk a weak geld through the use of a smallamount oficalciumsalt, which: may be merely shakento' form asm'ootlrthi'c'k' drink; such a case, no cutting lstirring: action.istnecessary.

It will be understood that where' it. hasibeen" stated that gel may besimply and Milk characteristically contains a large 7,

- a container.

a given ingredient dissolves or completely dissolves, this 3 chemicalsolubility table will give the precise solubilities at both low and hightemperatures, the high temperature solubility being many times the lowtemperature solubility.

It will further be understood that where acid is spoken of assolubilizing salts of alkaline earth metals, such as calcium carbonate,this refers to rendering soluble the alkaline earth ions, such ascalcium, which, in the case of calcium carbonate, occurs through areaction which transforms the insoluble calcium carbonate into solublecalcium bicarbonate.

The following are examples of the foregoing processes:

Example l.-A milk drink was prepared using the following materials: V

1.5 grams of a standard algin of light or medium viscosity was mixedwith 0.25 gram of calcium carbonate. 100 grams of wateratroom-temperature were placed in a high speed mixer and the mixture of.algin and calcium carbonate added. The mixing was allowed to continuefor two to five minutes and while the mixer was still running, a mixtureof 100 grams of chocolate powder and 0.4 gram of citric acid was rapidlypoured in. The mixer was run for five to ten more seconds and while themixture was still in a semi-fluid state, it was poured into Thesemi-fluid mixture formed an advanced gel between two and ten minutesand was then placed in 1000 grams of milk, where it was vigorouslystirred to completely cut up and destroy the cohesive nature of the geland reduce it to small particles.

Example II.A shake-type drink was made using the following materials:

1.5 grams of a standard algin of light or medium viscosity wasmixed with0.2 gram of tetrasodium pyrophosphate. 100 grams of water at roomtemperature were placed in a high speed mixer and the mixture of alginand tetrasodium pyrophosphate added. The mixing was allowed to continuefor two to five minutes and while the mixer was still running, a mixtureof 100 grams of powdered chocolate and 0.4 gram of precipitated calciumsulphate. were added. The mixer was run for five to ten more seconds andwhile the mixture was still in a semifluid state, it was poured into acontainer. The semifluid mixture formed an advanced gel between two andten minutes and this gel was placed in a container of 1000 grams'ofmilk. The gel in the milk was then subjected to vigorous stirring actionto completely cut up and destroy the cohesive nature of the gel to forma viscous drink of the shake-type.

Example III.-A milk drink was made using th fol. lowing materials:

. Grams Algin 1.0 Trisodium phosphate 0.5 Calcium carbonate 0.15 MilkCitric acid 0.3 Powdered chocolate 10' mixing was allowed to continuefor two to five minutes and while the mixer was still running, a mixtureof 10 grams of powdered chocolate and 0.3 gram of citric acid wasrapidly poured in; The mixer was run for five to ten seconds more andwhile the mixture was still in a semifluid state, it was transferredinto a container. The semifiuid mixture formed an advanced gel betweentwo and ten minutes and was then completely cut up and its cohesivenature destroyed by means of a cutter whichwas operated until a thickshake-type drink was obtained.

Example I V.A milk drink was made using the following materials:

1.5 grams of a standard algin of light or medium visccsity was mixedwith 0.1 gram of calciumcarbonate and this mixture mixed with 100 gramsof water at room temperature for two to live minutes. While the mixerwas still running, a mixture of 100 grams of powdered chocolate, 0.18gram of citric acid and 0.3 gram of potassium bitartrate was added andstirred for about ten more seconds. The mixture was then fed to a feedpipe and extruded past the electrodes of a dielectric heater to causeadvanced gel formation. The advanced gel was then placed in 1000 gramsof milk and the gel completely cut up and its cohesive nature destroyedby mixing until the milk possessed a thick, creamy texture.

Example V.A milk drink was made using the following materials:

1.5 grams of alginwere mixed with 100 grams of water at room temperaturefor about three minutes and while the mixer was still running, a mixtureof 100 grams of powdered chocolate, 0.3 gram of calcium phosphate and0.3 gram of potassium bitartrate were added. The mixer was allowed torun for about ten more seconds and the mixture was then fed to a feedpipe and extruded past the electrodes of a dielectric heater to causeadvanced gel formation. The emanating product was then placed in 1000grams of milk and stirred and mixed until the cohesive nature of the gelwas destroyed and a thick, creamy drink was produced.

Ectampl-VL-Afiuit juice= shakewas' prepared using the followingingredients:

Algin'... grams..- 2.5 Sodium carbonateuafid do.. 0.2 Calcium-carbonatedn 0.2 Sugar d do 50 Water H do.. 180 Fruit juice-Hanna. cubiccentimeters- 70- Citric acid grams 3.5 Milk do 500 2.5 grams. of astandard algin of light or medium viscosity was mixed with 0.2 gram ofcalcium carbonate, 0.2 gram of sodium carbonate and 25 gram of sugar.100 grams of water at room temperature were placed in a high speed mixerand the mixture of algin, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate and sugaradded. The mixing was allowed'to continue for about five minutes andwhile the mixer was still running, a mixture of 3.5

grams of citric acid, 25 grams of sugar, .70 cc. of. fruit juice and 80grams of water. was poured in. The mixer was run for five to ten moreseconds and while the mixture was still in a semi-fluid state, it waspoured. into a The semi-fluid mixture formedan. advancedv container. gelbetween two and tenminutes and this gel was then placed in 500. grams ofmilk and cut up by means of a.

stirrer to form a thick, fruit juice shake.

Example VII.-A fruit juice shake was prepared-using the followingmaterials:

2.0 grams of a standard algin of light or medium viscosity was mixedwith 0.35 gram of calcium carbonate, 0.3 gram of trisodium phosphate and15.0 grams of glucose. 200 grams of water at room temperature wereplaced in a high speed mixer and the mixture of algin, calciumcarbonate, trisodium phosphate and glucose added. The mixing was allowedto continue for two to five minutes. Two drops of a synthetic fruitflavoring and 0.005 gram of a coloring agent were mixed with 40 grams ofsugar and into this mixture was introduced 2.0 grams of tartaric acid.The entire homogeneouslmixture was then poured into the aforementionedbatch at the termination of the two to five minutes of mixing. The mixerwas run for live to ten more seconds and while the mixture was still ina semi-fluid state, it was poured into a container. The semi-fluidformed an advanced gel between two and tenminutes andthis gel was thenreduced to small particles in 1000 gram or" milk bymeans of vigorousstirring.

Example VIII.A soup was made using the. following materials:

Algin grams 1.5 Calcium carbonate do 0.25 Canned tomato soup ounces 10.5Citric acid grams 0.4 Water n ounces 10.5 Tetrasodium pyroph-ospnategrams 0.4 Water -4 d 20 10.5 fluid ounces of a canned tomato soup weredilnted'with 10.5 ounces of water as per the directions on thecanj Thismixture was thoroughly mixed and 100 grams of the same drawn off in aseparate container. 1.5 "grams of a standard algin of light or mediumviscosity was mixed with 0.25 gram of calcium carbonate and-0i4 granroftetrasodium pyrophosphate. Thegrams of-gs'oup mixture I atroomtemperature were'plaeed in a high speed mixer and the mixtureof alginand cal i cium carbonateaddedz The mixing Wasallowed to co ntinue fortwo to five minutes and while the mixer-was still running; 034" gramofcitric acid dissolved irr 20" gran'rs of water'wasrapidly' pouredin. Themixerzwas;

run fol-five to tenmore seconds and While the' mixturewas still inasemi-fluid state, it was poured-'intoacon tainer; The semi-fluidformedan advancedgel between: two and ten, minutes and this gel Was then.placed inia mixing bowl wherein irwa completely cut; upand its cohesivenature destroyed by' means of vigorous stirring' action: The thickemulsion-like gel substance was then; mixed with the'remaining water andsoup compoundto; form'a'thick, creamy tomato soup. H 1

While the foregoingexampl'es show workable formulas it is to beunderstood that. variations in amount of foodstufis, colloids'and'gelatinizationagentsmay readily be made inview of the product which itis desired to obtain. 1 Thus, higher or lower food concentrations may beused, as well as gels of a softer or harder nature. The hardnesstis.readily controlled through variations of algin and calcium.concentrations and .it... isalso possible. to.-use'; a;

wide; range. of gelatinization agents... 1.1;. i f th possible trr varythe. timingof any. of the. foregoingre f actions throughtheusaofsuitable buffer agents suchas 1 trisodiunl. phosphate, tetrasodiumpyrophosphate; etc 7 thepreparation of soups and the like products, ithas. i

been. found more advantageous and convenient in preparing'such productsto manufacture the gel in a divided,

form, that is, in the form of uniform sized droplets or. spheres, whichmay be merely added to the soup without the necessity of a gel cuttingoperation. Such droplets are prepared by allowing a water colloidsolutionto... slowly drip through a large number of uniformdiameteredapertures into a bath containing a gelatinization agent of anyof the types heretofore mentioned. Thus, for

example, a water and algin solution containing the desired flavoring maydrip into a calcium lactate bath to cause,

the formationof spheres of advanced gel which may be removedandvpackaged insuch' a state. Alternativel yfi;

such gelspheres may bedehydrated, packaged and later mixed withsoup.by.a.consumerto reconstitute the origi-; nal gel. Spheresize maybecontrolled through variation of aperture .diameter, colloid solutionviscosity, and h-y-- drostatic head, and by means of such control gelspheres capable of producing. widely varying soup taste sensations maybe continuously manufactured. As an example, the dry gel grains'may' beadded to existent dry soupprepara tions to greatly improve theirconsistency characteri'sticsg,

One of'the' primary advantages realized. in using such: dehydrated .gelsin dry soup preparations is the ability to mix into the colloid solutionnormallyiincompatible ingredients which are encased in the. gel asdiscrete par;

ticles which may then be packaged with the remaining ry ingredients.This 'is particularly advantageous in the preservation of flavor in theprepared soup. While ordi nary dried soups have a tendency to lose manyof the. food flavors during the dehydration process, it has been? found.that through the use of the intermediate gel step of'this inventionthese flavors are remarkablywell'preji served. 7 1

In addition to gel droplets consisting ofa substantially, uniformadvanced 'gel throughout, it is also possible,. ac-

cording to the invention, to produce droplets which consist of asemi-gel-like or viscous liquid interior surrounded by an advanced gelpelliclo. Such droplets may be formed by allowing a viscous solution,which has been thickened by means other than addition of a colloid, andwhich contains a gelatinization agent, such as a soluble calcium salt,to drip into a bath comprising a water colloid solution. In such aprocess, the gelatinization agent on the surface of the droplet reactswith the water colloid to form an advanced gel film around the viscousinterior of the drop. Where it is desired to harden the colloid pellicleto produce a different taste sensation, the drop lets may be passedthrough a solidification bath, such as a bath containing a watersolution of a soluble salt of an edible alkaline earth metal, or aplasticizer solution such as a 3 to 10 percent solution of glycerine.

By means of these processes, it is possible to introduce into the soupany desired additives, such as flavoring, fats, preservatives, vitamins,minerals, flour or dehydrated powder of the soup, etc., and it ispossible to produce a very thick and organoleptically rich soup withoutthe added expense of supplying nutrient thickening ingredients. If thefood additives to the colloid, such as soup, cause an excessivelyviscous solution, the mixture may be warmed to improve the viscosityprior to dropping the mixture into the gelatinization bath.

Following is an example of this facet of the invention:

Example IX .-A soup additive was prepared using the followingingredients:

1.5 grams of a standard align of light or medium viscosity was added to100 grams of cannedtomato soup which had been prepared according to thedirections on the can and the mixture stirred at room temperature forfive minutes. This mixture was then poured into a container having abottom containing a plurality of apertures of a diameter of A; inch anda depth of 5 inches of liquid was maintained as the liquid droppedthrough. The falling drops were received in a 3% calcium lactate bathlocated 1 /2 feet below the aperture where an advanced gel was formed.The gel droplets were then removed.

As with the drink processes, the values given represent a workableformula but not a critical one. Variations may be made to achievedesired taste efiects. The colloid concentration preferably ranges from0.5 to 2.0%, although this is subject to variation to suit individualtastes. The calcium lactate bath preferably ranges between about a 1 tosolution, although this, too, is subject to variation. Other ediblesalts of alkaline earth metals may obviously be used as well as othercolloids, than aligns and other satisfactory methods of inducingproperly timed gel formation.

If the soups used contain any appreciable amount of free calcium ionssuitable buffers may be added to render such calcium ions insoluble.Likewise, if the soups possess a low pH, suitable buffers may beutilized to prevent premature or uncontrolled gel formation.

When it is desired to carry out the formation of such spheres as areformed in Example IX on a continuous basis removal of the spheres may befacilitated by adjusting the specific gravity of the final bath so as tocause the spheres to rise to the surface instead of sinking.

Whereas this invention has been described in terms of specificingredients and compounds, it will be understood that this has been forthe purpose of illustration only and is not to be deemed limiting in anysense, the invention being limited solely by the terms and spirit of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A process for preparing a food product comprising the steps ofhomogeneously dispersing food material in a fluid hydrophilic colloidsolution which will set to a water-insoluble, irreversible, advancedgel, setting the resulting solution into said water-insoluble,irreversible advanced gel while said food material is homogeneouslydispersed therein so as to entrap said food material throughout the gelstructure, then homogeneously suspending small organolepticallyperceptible particles of the resulting advanced gel in the edible liquidso that the resulting product is a stable suspension of drinkconsistency containing said food material within the individualsuspended gel particles.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic colloid is an alginate,a buffer salt is included in the gelforming mixture, and said edibleliquid is milk.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the food material incorporatedin the gel is chocolate and the edible liquid is milk.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the food material incorporatedin the gel is a fruit juice and wherein the edible liquid is milk.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said advanced gel is broken up intosmall particles in contact with the suspending liquid.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said advanced gel is formed into smallspherical particles prior to suspension in said edible liquid.

7. A food product of drink consistency produced by the process of claim1.

8. A chocolate shake produced by the process of claim 3.

9. A fruit juice milk shake produced by the process of claim 4.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A FOOD PRODUCT COMPRISING THE STEPS OFHOMOGENEOUSLY DISPERSING FOOD MATERIAL IN A FLUID HYDROPHILIC COLLOIDSOLUTION WHICH WILL SET TO A WATER-INSOLUBLE, IRREVERSIBLE, ADVANCEDGEL, SETTING THE RESULTING SOLUTION INTO SAID WATER-INSOLUBLE,IRREVERSIBLE ADVANCED GEL WHILE SAID FOOD MATERIAL IS HOMOGENEOUSLYDISPERSED THEREIN SO AS TO ENTRAP SAID FOOD MATERIAL THROUGHOUT THE GESSTRUCTURE, THEN HOMOGENEOUSLY SUSPENDING SMALL ORGANOLEPTICALLYPERCEPTIBLE PARTICLES OF THE RESULTING ADVANCED GEL IN THE EDIBLE LIQUIDSO THAT THE RESULTING PRODUCT IS A STABLE SUSPENSION OF DRINKCONSISTENCY CONTAINING SAID FOOD MATERIAL WITHIN THE INDIVIDUALSUSPENDED GEL PARTICLES.
 7. A FOOD PRODUCT OF DRINK CONSISTENCY PRODUCEDBY THE PROCESS OF CLAIM 1.